Search query: pennsylvania

The consequences of party-dominated elections; of closed party primaries, gerrymandered districts, and major party control of the ballot, of the media and of the debates, in addition to the partisan dominance of the very ways in which issues are framed and discussed -- the consequences of all this is to block the full and open participation of the American people in shaping the country in which we live. The habit of secret political bargains between elites started early in America. For example,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRqyYokJ97c Video Source: CBS News The Supreme Court turned down a request by Republican state lawmakers Monday to prevent Pennsylvania’s new congressional map from being used. The decision further upholds the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's ruling in January that the former congressional map was unconstitutional and constituted a partisan gerrymander. The court also ordered the state legislature to redraw the map by February 9 -- which it managed to do in the ele

Americans have to admit that our democracy -- the great experiment -- is dead. Our government does not look or function as our Founding Fathers intended. In fact, it has failed in the fundamental purpose it was founded for -- to respond to the will of the people. As a nation, we have found ways to subvert the will of the people by reversing how the voting process works. The use of gerrymandering has allowed those that run for office to select who will vote for them. Partisan gerrymandering has

For me, history, the study of it and the making of it, has been an essential part of life. Growing up in the underground of the poor black community, reading became my salvation, and reading about great historical developments, as well as hearing the soul stirring voice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the radio, was my inspiration. I remember the first black history class I took in college and the professor asking the students why they had chosen the course, I said I wanted to understand why

Gerrymandering might be the issue of our time. You know that sinking feeling you get after every single election where you just can’t understand how one party won so many seats? Gerrymandering is responsible for this phenomenon, which you might as well refer to as “artificial majorities.” Both major parties engage in gerrymandering when it’s their turn at bat. The interested parties in Pennsylvania’s gerrymandering case knew the stakes were high — they finally had a shot at tilting the balance

I am a physician and a black woman who grew up poor and came of age in the 1970’s. I‘ve spent 25 years practicing medicine, mainly in Harlem, and I care deeply about the state of our country, about the state of black America, and about the state of our democracy. I am also a political independent and reform activist who has worked for years to help generate conversations about our dysfunctional and divisive political system and the overwhelming social crisis that results from it. These can be

The US Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania legislature to overrule a decision by the state Supreme Court to strike down the state's congressional map on the grounds of partisan gerrymandering. Time is running out for state lawmakers as they have 10 days to get new maps drawn and approved by Governor Tom Wolfe. Thank you Hedrick Smith at ReclaimTheAmericanDream.org for this information. You can find more details here. Photo Credit: Jon Bilou / shu

Read about what really matters from the news last week. We provide you the least-biased news about current events so you can go about your day informed, not brainwashed. What to avoid: * The texts were found! Avoid the mayhem created by the texts between an FBI agent and his lover. The texts contained some damning information for the agent, which ended up getting him removed from Special Counsel Mueller’s team, but as of now that’s the most that’s come from them. Until something else surfaces

In an order issued on Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the district lines “clearly, plainly and palpably” violate the state Constitution and gave the Republican legislature until February 9 to draw new ones. It is the second ruling in less than two weeks where a court has struck down an entire state congressional map as unconstitutional and demanded that the state legislature oversee a redraw in time for the November 2018 elections. However, the U.S. Supreme Court quickly issu

On January 17, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania v Commonwealth, a partisan gerrymandering case challenging congressional redistricting in Pennsylvania. Here is a Pittsburgh Post Gazette news story about the hearing. Here is a Huffington Post story. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports: "Based on the tenor of their questions, a majority of the court, which has five Democrats and two Republicans, appeared open to the argument that Pennsylvania's congress